In My Imagination
by keriilurve
Summary: Rio had always had a thing for Rod. In her imagination, he had already confessed his love for her. In reality? Not so much. A cute story about a girl, a guy and a missing dog. [One Shot] [Rio x Rod]


**A/N: So I haven't written on here for a long time. I've been working on a novel which has taken up most of my time for the past half year (watch this space!)**

**But I've missed impulse writing and indulging in the fanfiction world. So here I am with another cheese fest. Enjoy ;D**

"Rufus!" Rio called again. She felt like the word in her throat had begun to make it hoarse from the multiple times she had shouted it.

Rod had run up ahead to the hill top and was desperately searching for the dog that had run off. Rio could hear him call the dog's name just as much as she was. It was endearing how much he cared about the pets he looked after. Rio couldn't help smiling bashfully as she watched him, shielding her face with the cowboy perched on her head. She tipped it over and dipped her head in the possibility that he might glance back at her and witness her flushed face.

"Any luck?!" she finally took a breath and called up to him, pushing herself up the path through the foliage around her. The trees darted their branches above her, dancing as the sunlight flickered in through their leaves. She could feel the heat on her skin. It wasn't just from the sun or from the work she put in at the farm today. The boy in front of her had a pretty big thing to do with it too.

Rod finally looked back at her from where he was crouched after pushing open the branches of a bush and peering into it. He looked deflated as she shook his head, his arms flopping to his sides. The branches of the bush were slapped back into place as if it were clapping hands. It wasn't really a moment to celebrate.

Rod shook his head once then felt the need to add, "No." His sigh was elongated and Rio worried that he would shrivel up like a deflated balloon with all the air he was letting out. He was never this down – whenever she saw him, he was always cheery. It felt unnatural to see him like this.

His sigh was contagious. Rio heard one slip from her lips as she pushed herself into a jog up towards him. She felt a pulling need to comfort him. It was a longing that she had had for a long time – to be the one person that he wholly trusted and would always be there for him. She wanted to be his number 1. She knew it was selfish. Yet every time she had seen him with his soft, blonde hair and that little, almost invisible dimple on his cheek, she had melted again and all her restraints had melted away with her.

"We'll find him," Rio found herself saying. When she said it, it felt like she heard it in a dream, like she couldn't quite make out the words. The glittering lake behind him, as if it had captured all the stars from the night sky, and the wide, expansive sky that stretched out above them didn't help either. It was like the landscape was rooting for her imagination to take control. Last time that had happened, she had been caught mid make out session with Rod in her head. Red cheeks were not a good look on her.

She shook herself out of it before Rod noticed her distraction.

Rod glanced up at her where he was still crouched and Rio finally saw a familiar smile grow on his face. She relaxed as he nodded, believing her.

He stretched himself up and Rio had forgotten how much taller than her he was. Tall enough that she felt safe next to him and not too tall that it wouldn't take too much effort to lean up and kiss him.

Stop it! Rio mentally slapped her face, scolding herself for letting her thoughts go that far. This wasn't the time for indulging fanfics in her head. Although Rodio was an amusing couple name. She imagined the people in the people cheering and shipping 'Rodio'. Rio smirked at the thought before she noticed Rod was watching her.

Blush spread over her cheeks as she stared, embarrassed up at him, as if he had caught her mid-crazy dance in her room back at the farm house. No, actually, that would be way more embarrassing.

"What are you thinking about?" the words strolled off his tongue casually, his usual grin fitting perfectly into his face.

Rio blinked, her words trapped in her mouth. For a second she was breathless. Then an awkward laugh let air back into her lungs. "Nothing much," she forced herself to sound casual. Rod was so close to her, she could almost feel the ghost of his hand against her own. The air between them was heavy. Or, at least, it was for her.

Rio brought her gaze up to his face instead of at his hands or at his deliciously broad shoulders and found that he was staring at her with an amused smile on his face.

"What?" Rio asked suddenly, panicking that he had somehow read her mind or had transferred her imaginations to his brain.

"Nothing…" Rod smirk turned into a grin as he pushed his hands into his pockets, his body leaning towards her slightly as if she had a gravitational pull against him. "Just. I like looking at you."

A beat stole Rio's breath. No, that was Rod that had done that. This time she could feel her cheeks heating up but she didn't hide her face. She couldn't. Her eyes were too locked on Rod who was now running fingers through his hair as he laughed as if to transform what he had just said into a casual comment. But it wasn't casual. At least not for Rio.

Her lips parted, about to say something - she didn't know what but she hoped when she opened her mouth, the right words would come out – when Tony came running up the slope to them.

"Rod!" he called and both their gazes snapped to the boy. He looked exhausted, rushed, as he fell over his knees, trying to catch his breath. Rio took a step back in surprise, slightly relieved for the interruption. It saved her from letting too much of her heart go.

"Neil says," Tony breathed, his heartbeat finally resting back to normal. He climbed back to his feet, finally taking slow and steady breaths. "That Rufus won't leave his cows alone. He says you have to come take him back or you'll owe him twice." Tony seemed to recall his words in his head, trying to figure out if he had said exactly what Neil had asked him to, then smiled and nodded as he confirmed to himself that he had.

Rio felt Rod tense up beside her as the words Tony had said finally dawned on her. She glanced sideways at the boy beside her. He had pushed his hands deep into his pockets, his arms pressed to his sides, his body shifting away from her as if he were afraid she might hit him.

Tony obliviously broke Rio's gaze as he finally noticed her. "Oh, hi Rio," he said cheerily.

Rio took a breath. "Hi," she squeezed out awkwardly. Tony didn't seem to notice as she quickly turned around and sprinted back down the hill.

Silence.

"Rufus at Neil's, huh?" Rio turned towards Rod, arms crossed playfully as she raised her eyebrows at him. Inside her chest, her heart was thumping. Why had he made up a story about a lost dog?

"Yeah…" Rod dragged out the word as he grinned sheepishly, leaning out of her slapping reach. "I, uh, pretended that he was missing." He said it even though they both knew he didn't need to.

He shrugged an apology, his sheepish grin spreading across his whole face."Sorry?"

Rio raised an eyebrow then flailed her arm at him, attempting to hit him. A laugh escaped from her mouth as Rod jumped out of her way and grinned. She ran after him then, any thoughts of anxiousness about his reasoning flying away from me. Rio could hear his distinctive laughter joining hers as she chased him around the lake and down the path towards the forest. She threw her arms out, trying to grab him but he always avoided her. She almost got him, grabbing hold of his orange jacket – "Ha!" she had rejoiced when she had felt it in between her fingers – but he had swiftly wriggled out of it and had bounded away.

"Come on, give me a break!" Rio laughed through heavy breaths as her chase after him weakened.

His laughs tumbled over his breaths as he stumbled to a stop. Rio grinned, jogging up to him and grabbing his two hands in victory.

"Okay," he heaved, nodding in defeat. "You got me."

"Hurrah!" Rio cheered. It was only then that she realised she was holding his hands. Thank goodness her face was already flushed from her run otherwise she knew Rod would have been able to see them blush even more.

She was about to pull her hands away in the fear that she was invading his space – but really it was because she was afraid that too much of his touch would make her heart explode – when Rod grabbed them, his grin gone.

Rio stared up at him in shock. His deep eyes, usually filled with cheerfulness, were now dipped with seriousness and were looking at her. Her heart pounded underneath her chest. She felt too much like a drum that would explode out of her own body. How was it that Rod was able to do this to her?

"The truth is," he began, trying to find his words. Rio soaked in a breath, the air coming out erratic and unsteady as she breathed out. "I didn't make it up just for the sake of it."

Rio swallowed hard. Her eyes were fixed on Rod – on the way loose strands of his hair skated across his forehead and the way his eyebrows creased together when he was thinking too hard or being serious. She couldn't force her eyes from tracing his gentle jaw line or the outline of his lips or the way he bit his bottom one slightly – a sign he was nervous. And his hot hands holding hers didn't help either. She could feel the slight hint sweat on their skin, a connection between them. His skin was warm against hers.

"I just," Rod started, glancing away. He looked as if he couldn't find the right words to say or that he thought the word wouldn't be up to par to what he really wanted to say. Finally, he took a breath as if to say 'to hell with it' and snapped his gaze back to Rio's. "I've missed spending time with you. You've been so busy with the farm and with… with everything. I wanted a reason to spend time with you. I-" Rod caught his voice mid sentence. It was only after an unsteady breath that he finally finished. "I wanted to- I want to spend time with you."

Rio stared at the boy in front of him. Had she just heard him right? Was she sure this wasn't another one of her imaginations. But the heat of his hands against hers and the lingering scent of his warm breath confirmed to her that it had been real.

A smile took over her lips little by little before she was really beaming.

Obviously it was contagious because Rod was grinning in response. He seemed to have relaxed at the sight of it. Her smile at been confirmation for him – acceptance.

"I missed you too," Rio breathed.

If Rod's smile wasn't big enough, it somehow grew wider.

Their gaze wasn't awkward. It was a connection between them, their eyes dancing with each other. It was amazing what a simple gaze could do to a person. Rod was a perfect example for Rio – his eyes could do incredible things with hers.

It felt like an age, like they had spent a whole life together in those few seconds staring at each other, before Rod finally leaned forward, pulling Rio gently towards him by her hands.

He grinned as he said it. "I would totally kiss you right now but I'm afraid the Harvest Goddess is watching over there from her lake and I'm not totally convinced she doesn't have a camera and a twitter account."

A short laugh skipped out of Rio's mouth. It wasn't every day Rod used the word 'kiss' when referring to her. This was going to be a moment she treasured.

"I'll make sure you do it later then," Rio chuckled.

Rod laughed and rolled his eyes. Then, in one swift movement, he had pulled her to him and had enveloped her lips with hers. He stole her breath as she finally realised that he was kissing her, here and now. It didn't take much for her to kiss him back.

Needless to say, it was way better than it had ever been in her imagination.


End file.
